Sacramento has less than six weeks to convince the NBA that the Kings are better off not moving to a larger, wealthier city where investors have made a more generous offer to buy the team.

As its fight with Seattle heats up, Sacramento is casting itself as the scrappy underdog – the small market that has loyally supported the Kings and is doing everything in its power to keep the team. It appears to have the sympathy of NBA Commissioner David Stern, who has championed Sacramento over the years and is urging the city's investors to strengthen their bid for the Kings.

Ultimately, the decision will have little to do with sympathy. Issues of dollars and cents will rule the day, including data on economic factors such as per capita incomes and television markets. Much will depend on the strength and credibility of each city's proposal for a new, NBA-worthy arena.